Switch-operating mechanism.



A. S. ELIASON.

SWITGH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1913.

1,112,691. Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

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UNITED STATES TPATENT orrron AXEL S. ELIASON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO, EMIL NELSON AND ONE-FOURTH TO OLOF PERSON, BOTH OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SWITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AXnL S. -ELIASON, a citizen of Sweden, and resident of the borough of Queens, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Operating Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway-switch operating mechanism. v

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient mechanism whereby a switch-tongue can be thrown into its assigned position either automatically by a car, or manually.

Another object is to so construct the said mechanism that the switch may be reset thereby in the same manner as when first moved, whether automatically or manually.

A further object is to combine the automatic and manual operating features of this improved switch in such a manner, that the throwing thereof either way by hand will in no wise affect that part of the mechanism which is moved by the car.

Still another object is the production of a switch-throwing mechanism which shall be free from slidable parts at the railways surface that require elongated openings, such as slots and similar apertures, wherein to operate, the invention aiming to afford surface connections depending solely upon movements of arotary nature for their actuation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the structural features thereof are brought out in detail in the following description, refer ence being had therein to the accompanying drawing, in which similar parts are designated by corresponding numerals throughout the several views.

In the said drawing :Figure 1 is a top plan view giving a general outline of the improved mechanism, some unimportant parts being broken away and others removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section, on the line 22 of Fig. 1 parts omitted. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of a central part of the mechanism, the section thereof being on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a ver tical transverse section on the line 4.4: of Fig. 1 with parts omitted; and Fig. 5 is a similar section on the line 55 of the same Fig. 1 with parts omitted.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 5, 1913.

Patented Oct. 6, 1914. Serial No. 783,206.

The numeral 11 represents a boxframe, within which practically the whole swltch-operating mechanism is contained and operated. This box-frame underlies a track 12 and a switch 13 thereof having piv oted switch-points l4: and 15, thereby rendering the entire apparatus self-contained 1n one unit.- 3

A, rockshaft 16, journaled in suitable bearings 17, is mounted preferably in a central position longitudinally of said box frame. On this shaft are intermediately pivoted members 18 and 19, which may be in the nature of arms as shown, the same being adapted to swing on opposite sides of the shaft. Pins 20, inserted one in the lower end of each arm, and engaging the opposite slotted ends of a yoke 21, pivotally mounted on the bottom of the frame 11, cause the said pair of arms to swing oppositely, when either one of them is oscillated. Connection between the aforesaid switch-points 14, 15 and the said arms 18, 19 is established by links 22, both links being pivotally attached to the same one of the latter arms, on oppo site sides thereof, and to levers 28, respectively adapted to rotate spindles 2 1, towhich the butt ends of the switch-points are rigidly secured.

Latches 25, 26 are hinged to the upper ends of the arms 18, 19 one to each, and the same are arranged to meet centrally between the arms. The free meeting ends of these latches are preferably shaped like arrowheads, that is beveled on opposite sides so that they may be forced past each other easily, as the arms are swung in opposite directions. When at rest, the beveled heads of the latches touch each other, on either side, and are conveniently retained in this normal position by a spiral spring 27 connecting them atthe top, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The center lines of each latch in both positions of rest lie beyond the longitudinal center of the shaft on either side.

Motion is imparted to the latches 25, 26 in order to swing the arms 18, 19 oppositely, and thereby move or reset the switch-points, by means of a lever 28, adapted to be forced into engagement alternately with projections 29, 80, with which the latches are respectively provided. The lever 28 is rigidly secured to, and rocked by the before-mentioned shaft 16. The upper end of this lever is sufficiently broad-faced to enable its edges to meet the said latclrprojections one after the other, in the manner suggested in Fig. 3, and corrugations are formed on the opposed faces of the lever and projections, as at 31, 32 to insure positive or non-slidable contact of the meeting parts of the projection. on one latch and the lever during each oscillation of the latter. But, both the projections 25), 30 and the actuating lever 28 are rounded rearwardly, as at 33, 8 1 and 35 that they may freely pass one another on the return movement. As the lever 28 is rocked by the shaft 16, it will encounter first the nearer one of the latclrpi-ojections, 29 or 30,

and swing it together with its latch 25 or 26, and the thereto appertaining arm, 18 or 19. llllianwhile the contacting arrow-shaped heads of the latches are forced past each other, thereby causing the other arm to also swing on the rockshaft, in an opposite direction, and the latch-projection temporarily remote from the actuating lever to recede from its path of forward oscillation. Returning, the rounded portions of this lever and of the latch project-ion that it just passed merely cross each other with a slight frictional contact, on account of the latch being hinged and resiliently held in position. The two projections are thus alternately acted upon by the lever 28, so that the switch-points are moved and reset by alternate actuation of the interengaged latches and thereto connected arms, oscillating upon the rockshaft 16.

i'hllilOlnlliilC operation of the above described mechanism is obtained through the agency of a lever 36, intermediately fixed upon the rockshaft 16, and engaged by a yoke lever 37, secured to a spindle 38, which passes upwardly through a suitable hole in the cover of the box-frame 11 and to which an oscillatable arm 39 is fastened at the surface of the roadbed where the track 12 is laid. The element 39 may be oscillated by any suitable device attached to a passing car, or by a crowbar held in front thereof by a driver or motorman, so as to encounter the free end of the arm, dSIfOI instance, at 10, Fig. 1. The switch having been opened or closed, as the case may be, the arm 39 is returned to position for a reverse operation, by a spring tl attached to the lower end of the lever 36, which operates to rock the shaft 16 and move the lever 37 and spindle 38 in an opposite direction. Other mechanical means, however, may be substituted to perform the equivalent function of this spring.

The mechanism can also be operated manually simply by moving either switch-point one way or the other in the required direction with the aid of any suitable implement. In that event only the pivoted arms 18 and 1.9 with their co-acting latches 25 and 26 are moved with the switch-points, owing to their loose connection with the roekshaft 16,

ments 42, extending from the bottom of the box-frame 1.1.

The operation is as follows :ll hen a car approaches the switch and it is desired to move the switch-points, the driver or motor man can move the latter without stopping, by merely causing a crowbar, or equivalent device suspended from the car, to meet the oscillatable arm as suggested at 39, -10, Figs. 1 and 5. he oscillation of this arm imparts a rotary movement to the spindle 38, which swings the lovers 3'? and 36 so as to rock the shaft 16 and place the spring 41 under tension. As the shaft rocks, it drives forward the lever 28, the corrugated face of "which meets first the similarly corrugated side of the projection 29 located under the latch as shown in Figs. 1 and lhe lever 28 then pushes the projection and the latch 25 past the latch 26 and its projection 30, to wit, to the position illustrated at the left hand side of Fig. 3. While the latch 25 is thus pushed forward by the lever, it in turn causes the companion latch 26 to swing back on its hinge and the projection 30 thereof to recede from the path of the lever, as before noted. The latches having interchanged places on opposite sides of the rockshaft, the latch 26 that was swung back now returns to its position of rest, with its projection 30 in the path of the lever, which being rounded rearwardly like the projection, passes it readily when oscillated bacle ward upon the shaft 16 being normalized by the action of the spring 41. in the meantime, the latches have swung the arms 18 and 1.9 connected therewith, oppositely across the rockshaft, and drawn the switch-points, through the intervening links, levers and spindles. It is understood that as the shaft 1.6 is returned to normal position under the influence of its spring, it also normalizes the thereto connected levers 36 and 37 with the spindle 38 and surface arm 39, the latter being again in position to actuate the operating mechanism of the switch. The neXt actuation of the mechanism, it is obvious, resets the switch-points, ly drawing them in an opposite direction, the movement of all the parts being the same as for setting the switch in the first instance, excepting that the positions and relative moves of the 1 latches are transposed. If, for any reason, it is desired to operate the switch manually nstead of automatically by or from the car, he switch-points can be readily shifted by pushing or pulling with an ordinary iron path of the car and actuated thereby, a,

shiftable member workingin a vertical plane, mechanism connected up with said element for shifting said member from one position to another in said plane, said mech anism being capable of receding out of the way of the member after setting it, a switchpoint, an oscillatable connection between said switclrpoint and the member and means for retaining said member with the switch-point in its assigned position, said switch-point being capable of actuation in dependent of the car operated mechanism.

2. A. single unit self-contained switch opcrating mechanism comprising in combination with the switch point, means for setting and resetting the latter including a pair of co-acting elements arranged to swing crosswise past each other on a common center when moving from one position to another, and means for moving either element by the other.

3. A single unit switch operating mechanism comprising in combination with the switch point, interconnected elements having an oscillatable connection with the switch point so that the latter will set or reset when the elements are moved cross-wise past each other, and means for actuating said elements alternately, said switch point, said elements with their connection, and said means constituting a self-contained appara tus with the one and same mechanism.

t. In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination of a switch-point, setting and resetting arms therefor pivoted so as to es cillate in opposite directions, latching means or said arms, said arms being connected so that one moves the other, and means for actuating the arms and eltecting transposition of their said latching means.

In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination oi a switch-point, a rotatable shaft, pair of latched arms mounted on said shaft so as to swing in opposite directions transversely thereof, a connection from one of said arms serving to set or reset the switch-point as the arms are moved one way or the other, and a lever on the shaft normally positioned to one side of the latched arms operating to move either one of them by the other.

6. In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination of a switch-point, a shiftable member connected therewith to set or reset the same, mechanism for shifting said member co-axially disposed therewith, said mechanism receding from the member after locating it in the required position, and an oscillatable element met by a car for actuating said mechanism.

7. Ina switch-operating mechanism, the combination ofa switch-point, a shiftable member working in a vertical plane, means for shifting saidmembcr oscillatable in the same plane and receding therefrom after locating it in the required position, an oscillatable element VVOIlIGClfl'OIDI a car and: connected up for moving said shifting means, and an oscillatable connection between the shiftable member andthe switch-point enabling the latter to be set or reset independently of the car actuated element.

S. In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination of a'switch-point, a pair of oppositely acting arms pivoted centrally to swing in a vertical plane and coupled so as to move each other, a connection between said switch-point and one of said arms whereby the switch can be set or reset, and means for swinging either arm.

9. In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination of a switch-point, two arms, one of which is connected with said switch point so as to move it in either direction, latches carried by said arms operating to hold the latter crossed after being moved oppositely to one another, and means for forcing said latches with said arms past each other.

10. In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination of a switch-point, arms operatively connected therewith, coacting latches hinged to said arms, said latches operating to hold the arms in their assigned place after having been moved from one position to another, and means adapted to part the latches and transpose them for alternate actuation of the arms.

11. In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination of a switch-point, a pair of pivotally-mounted arms, a linkage between one of said arms and the switch-point, an intermediately pivoted yoke joining the arms at one end so as to cause them to oscillate in opposite directions, and means impinging alternately upon the arms at their other end.

12. In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination of a switch-point, a rockshaft, a pair of arms loosely mounted on said shaft so as to swing thereacross in opposite directions, one of said arms being operatively connected with the switch-point to place it in the required position, means for oscillating either arm by the other from said shaft, a surface arm adapted to rotate the shaft, and means for returning the latter to its position of rest.

13. In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination of a switch-point, a rotatable shaft, a pair of arms pivoted on said shaft so as to swing transversely thereof, one arm having a connection with the switch-point enabling it to be moved either Way into the required position and the two arms being connected together to oscillate in opposite directions, a latch hinged to each arm, the latches of both arms being beveled to contact with each other 011 opposite sides ot the shaft, a projection on each latch, and an actuating lever swung by the shaft into alternate contact with the latch-projections, operating to force the latches alternately past each other.

14-. In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination. of a switch-point, a rockshatt, a pair of arms, pivotally yoked together and loosely mounted on said shaft to swing thereacross in opposite directions, a linkage connecting one of said arms with the switch-point to set and reset. the latter, latches hinged to said arms having heads adapted to contact With each other on either side, said latches being held resiliently together, a projection on each one of the latches, a lever carried by said shaft, of snitficient Width to meet either latclrprojection, both the latch projections and the lever being arranged to slide past one another, and means for normalizing the shaft and lever thereon after oscillation of either arm through the thereto appertaining latch and projection.

Signed at the borough of lilanhattan in the connty of New York and State of New York this fourth day of August A. D. 1913.

AXEL S. ELIlASUN.

Witnesses H. C. KAnLsoN, V. H. GEE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

